Tubular lamp base and socket



Marh s, 1949.

J. H. GOEHST TUBULAR LAMP BASE AND SOCKET 'Filed March 26, 1945 Patented Mar. 8, 1949 TUBULAR LALIP BASE AND SOCKET John H. Goehst, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Federal Enterprises, Inc., a corporation of New York Application March 26, 1945. Serial No. 584,836

2 Claims.

This invention relates to lamp bases and sockets for tubular electric lamps of the double-ended discharge type. More particularly, this invention is concerned with lamps of this type provided with bases having a single outwardly projecting contact pin for lateral demountable engagement with a lamp socket.

This invention contemplates the provision of a lamp base and socket construction in which a circuit through the lamp is interrupted prior to removal of a, lamp contact pin from its socket in order to prevent shock due to accidental contact with one of the contact pins during installation or removal of lamps.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lamp socket provided with a pair of flexible contact members arranged in spaced relation for lateral engagement by a single lamp contact pin, the contact pin serving to complete an electrical circuit between the flexible contact members during mounting of the lamp in a socket.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a lamp base and socket construction adapted to facilitate mounting or removal of lamps. In the mounting or removal of lamps provided with two or more contact pins on each end thereof, it is necessary to rotate the lamp-to a predetermined position in order to align the several contact pins with their several socket slots, and as a result thereof the contact pins are often bent or broken. The use of a single contact pin thus facilitates replacement of lamps and also permits free rotational movement of the lamp to provide a better electrical contact surface between the contact pins and their respective socket contact members.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a lamp base and socket construction in which the several electrical contact members are adequately enclosed and protected to prevent contact with same to thereby eliminate the danger of shock or short circuits.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a socket holder having a tortuous passage terminating in a seat for a single contact pin, and a flexible contact member mounted within the socket holder to yieldably resist displacement of the lamp contact pin from said seat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a socket construction in which a terminal base is adapted to be detachably engaged between a socket holder and a mounting plate, the inner end of the terminal base being provided with means for supporting a pair of flexible contact members adapted to be laterally displaced upon mounting of a lamp contact pin in the socket holder.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lamp base and socket construction which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which will not readily get out of order.

This invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a, view partly in section and partly in side elevation showing a lamp base and socket embodying features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a view of same partly in section and partly in front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the socket illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows a. wiring diagram illustrating a circuit for connecting a pair of tubular lamps with a source of power.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of this invention, a double-ended gaseous discharge lamp 6 is shown as comprising an enlongated tubular body portion 1 provided with a lamp base 8 at each end thereof. Each lamp base 8 is formed of insulating material and is provided with a single longitudinally extending contact pin 9 of tubular form.

The lamp socket is shown as comprising a holder I I of insulating material and formed with a flange portion l2, a front wall l3, a back wall l4 and a side wall l6, said walls defining a chamber l l to receive the inner end of the contact pin 9 and a pair of contact members I8 and 19. A baflle wall 2| is provided within the inner end of the chamber fl and extending between the front wall l3 and the back wall I4. A tortuous slot 22 is formed in the holder and extends inwardly through the side wall 16 at 23 and thence around the end of bafile wall 2| to terminate in a contact seat 24 disposed on the opposite side of the bafile wall from the opening 23.

A terminal base 26 of insulating material is provided for detachable interlocking engagement with the flange [2 of the holder l l, and is formed with a contact supporting portion 21 projecting into the chamber ll. As more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, the flexible contact members l8 and I9 are formed of flexible metallic strip material, preferably arranged in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the socket holder, and adapted to have their free ends yieldably displaced laterally from their normal positions by mounting of a lamp contact pin. The flexible contact members are mounted in spaced relation upon the inner end of the terminal base portion 21 and secured thereto by means of terminal bolts 28 and 29 and nuts 30. The inner end or face of the terminal portion 21 is provided with a transverse rib 3| adapted to maintain the flexible contact members l8 and [9 in predetermined spaced position and also serves to hold the flexible formed with four radially disposed arms 33 for detachable interlocking engagement I between,

four corner posts 34 projecting outwardly fromv the flange 12 of the holder, as illustrated in Fig.5

3, the outer surfaces of the arms 33 and corner posts 34 being flush on all sides to provide a smooth exterior appearance for the socket unit and a smooth surface engagement of the socket unit with a reflector plate 36. The terminal base FEB-is also provided with a cylindrical portion 31 to project through an aperture 38 provided in the reflector plate 35.

The socket holder I l and the terminal base 26 are adapted to besecured in assembled relation upon a reflector plate 35 or the like by means of a plurality of bolts 39 mounted in apertures 4| formed in and extending through the flange I2 and corner posts 34. After'the holder l4 and terminal base 26 have been mounted in position on a reflector plate 36 by means of the bolts 39, the counter-bored ends 52 of the apertures 41 are adapted to be filled with a suitable insulating cement to cover the heads of the bolts 39 and thus eliminate any possibility of a short circuit between the contact members 9, l8 and I9 and the bolts 39.

In the use of a lamp base-and socket construction of the type thus described, a pair of lamps 6 and socket contact members 18 and 19 of the several sockets may be connected in a circuit in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5 to eliminate any possibility of electrical shock due to accidental contact with a base contact pin 9 during installation or removal of a lamp in the circuit. In Fig. 5, a pair of lamps 5 are shown as arranged in a circuit connectedto a source of electrical energy by a pair of leads 43 and 44. The lead 63 is connected to'the primar side of a transformer 46, whilethe lead M'is con-=- nected to a flexible contact member I9 of socket A. The contact member I8 of socket A is con-.

nected to a contact member IQ of a socket B, Y and the contact 18, of socket Bi connected to the other side of the primarycoil'of the trans-. former in, The opposite ends of the tubular lamps 5 are supported in sockets C andD which the electrical energy transmitted through the-' leads l9 and M is changed, for example, to 600' volts by the transformer 46 to provide a sufiiciently high current flow to pass through the 7 gaseous discharge lamps =6. It will be noted that removal of thecontact pin from the sockets A I or B acts to break the circuit leading to the transformer 36, and thereby eliminates any pos-,-

sibility of a user being shocked due to contact with the disengaged contact pin. In the event a contact pin is first removed from the sockets C or D, the user will not be shocked by contact therewith as the 110 volt current transmitted by the leads and 44 will lamps 6.

not pass through "the In the use of the lamp base and socket of the type thus shown and described, it will be observed .that the contact pin .9 may readily be mounted in'op'erating position -in the seat 24 of the slot 22, and that the lamp may be rotated if desired to provide a clean contacting engagement between the pin and the socket contact members. During mounting of a contact pin 9 it will be noted that the flexible contact members '18 and 19; are flexedrearwardly and act to yieldably"resist"displaceinent of the contact pin 9 from. its seat- 24; or l-from th inner end of the slot 22. It will also be noted that the partition 21 serves to prevent insertion of metallic objects into engagement with the contact members and thus eliminates-the possibility of shock due to electricalcontacttherewith.

While this invention has been shown in but one form, it is obviousto those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of vari-" ous changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope tion.

I claim as myinvention:

of theclaimed inven- 1. In a socket for uselwith a tubular fluorescentlamp having a base provided with a single contact pin, a lamp holden ofminsulating amaterial, said lamp-holderhaving: a tortuousuopening. to

receive a single contact pinuwhen= the latter is moved laterally,.the walls of said-opening terminating in a contact pin-,- seat, and-Ha pairof contact members electricallyiinsulated from each, other and secured within said holder to be latseat.

2. In a socket for use with a tubular fluorescent" lamp having -;a base provided with a single contactpin a lamp holder ofyinsulating material,

said vlampholder having a tortuous opening ,to' receive a single contact; pin ,when the latter is moved laterally, the walls ofsaid opening ter minating ina contact pin seat,:;a pairofcontact memberselectrically insulated from each other;

and secured withinsaid holder to-be laterally dis-- placed in spaced .engagementalong one side of said contact ;pin.cto, yieldably resistv movement ofsaid pin into orout. of said tcontact, pin seat,,-v saidla'mp holder being formed with a bafllewall .1 disposed between the entrance to said -tortuous,

openingand said Contact pin-seat.

JOHN GOEHST.

REFERENCES CITED. I

The following --references are of *record in the-i file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date" 1,369,221 Currier Feb-22, 1921" 1,87 9,374 McComb's et all Sept-27, 1932 2,085,707 Shore June '29,.1937 2,201,543 Maerz-;- May 21341940 2,229,962 De Reamer. I Jan. 28,1941!- 2,314,233 McSween. Mar. 16, 1943:, 2,328,413} Bertram- Aug. 31,;1943,-- 2,374,932,, Mueller Apr,=17, 1945, 2,415,496 Ingwersen Feb.,11,,1947.j

FOREIGN PATENTS j Number Country I Date 28,118 France 1924 564,685 7 Germany I Nov. 21; 1932 

